Called the "HHR Concept," the two remaining side doors are six-inches longer than the front doors on a standard HHR and the B-pillars lean forward to achieve the Nomad roofline. But the HHR Concept also has a new hood, a new grille and new front fascia with polished billet air ducts. It's also been chopped four inches and widened by two inches up front and four inches in the back. Power comes from the Cobalt SS' supercharged 2-liter Ecotec four and, of course, there are the expected show car doo-hickeys like big wheels (19 inches up front and 20 out back) and a cargo area covered in Zebrawood.
The production HHR has been selling spectacularly well for Chevy, so there must be a lot right with it. But if there were a version like the HHR Concept available, well, even we'd muster up some enthusiasm.
Your $280,000 RX-8 Is Ready!For many, housing values have appreciated greatly during the real-estate boom of the last few years. Well, now there's finally a reason to cash in on all that stagnant equity! Refinance the abode; call Mazdaspeed Motorsports Development and order up your very own RX-8, complete and ready to enter in the Rolex Series GT Class sports car racing. All you need is driving talent!
Covered in a carbon fiber skin and powered by a 20B rotary in full race trim, the Mazdaspeed RX-8 is being built on an on-order basis for teams interested in running in the Grand American Road Racing Association's GT Class. Of course, these are full-on racecars... but when you sell your house, is there any better way to blow the proceeds?
Mass ConFusionFord's push at SEMA centered on their new Mazda6-based Fusion front-drive sedan. Not necessarily a car destined to dominate the sport compact world, the Fusion is still a neat-looking machine that drives well and looks good in big wheels and tires.
The 3D Carbon Fusion (pictured) was the prettiest Fusion, relying on an air dam that extends the stock front Fascia, some subtle side skirts and a set of glorious five-spoke wheels. It didn't really need anything else.
More aggressive was the Fusion customized by Funkmaster Flex. It used the same body kit as the 3D Carbon version, but went for more aggressive paint, really shiny wheels and some dorky graphics. It's not bad, but not great either.
There isn't much in the way of performance parts for the Fusion and no one knows if there ever will be. But it may be the best-looking Ford sedan in decades. And it's just as easy to make a good-looking car ugly as it is to make an ugly car pretty.
Roush JobRoush Racing runs five different Ford Fusions in the NASCAR Nextel Cup series. But Roush Engineering in Livonia, Michigan, provides specialty services to virtually every car manufacturer operating in America. As such, it wasn't that surprising to see Roush playing with the Pontiac G6 sedan.
Called the "Roush Signature Edition Pontiac G6," it won an award from GM for Best New GM Exterior. And it deserved it. Designed at Roush's Livonia Design Studio, the G6 got a new hood, front and rear fascias, side rocker panels, rear spoiler, forged 19-inch wheels, exhaust tips, modified headlamps, Sparco seating, and Autometer gauges. Beyond that, there's an AEM Cold Air Induction Kit, Brembo brakes, DC Sports strut-tower brace, Eibach lowering kit, and a GM performance exhaust. The paint is Merles Opus Orange Yellow and you could fry an egg on it.